Automatic gramophone and the like



Dec. 8, 1936. a. SLATER AUTOMATIC GRAMOPHONE AND THE LIKE Filed March 16, 1936 Patented Dec. 8, 11936 AUTOMATIC GBAMOPHONE AND THE Gilbert Slater, Attercli assignor to The Garrard fie, Sheffield, England, Engineering and Manufacturing Company Limited, Swindon,

Wiltahire, England Application March 16,

1936, Serial No. 89,214

In Great Britain December-'27, 1934 10 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic recordchanging mechanism for use in conjunction with gramophones or talking machines and like apparatus for reproducing speech or music. The invention relates more particularly to recordchanging mechanism wherein records or record discs are supported in stackformation upon a stationary post or like member having an offset portion or shoulder engaging the centre of a I record and changing records is effected by lateral displacement of a record to disengage the same from the said offset portion or shoulder.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved and simplified record-changing mechanism of the above character and particularly to provide a mechanism which is reliable in operation and is not affected by slight variations in the sizes of the records used. Another object is to provide a mechanism comprising few parts and which allows records to be placed in position and removed after playing with the minimum of trouble. A further object is to provide a; recordchanging mechanism of relatively robust and rigid construction.

According to the invention the turntable of the gramophone or like apparatus is carried by a sleeve member rotatable about the stationary record support which extends above the turntable at an inclination to the vertical, and cam-operated means is provided for displacing a record laterally to cause it to be disengaged from-the support.

The invention also consists in record-changing mechanism of the character described in which the turntable rotates about a stationary element in which is mounted, preferably removably, a support extending above the turntable at an in-. cli-nation to the vertical.

The sleeve element may comprise a hollow driving spindle upon which the turntable is mounted.

According to a feature of the invention the turntable or the sleeve or driving spindle by which it is carried is adapted to rotate about a fixedvertical element having an upward extension inclined to the vertcial and forming a support for the records.

According to another feature of theinvention the stationary record-supporting element forms a bearing for the turntable on its driving sleeve. Conveniently the fixed vertical element is mounted in the frame or base structure of the mechanism and the driving and supporting sleeve for the turntable is journalled thereon. A thrust bearing is preferably interposed between the lower end of the sleeve and the portion of the sleeve in which the fixed bearing element is mounted. The driving sleeve may be provided with a toothed gear or equivalent means for driving purposes.

According to one convenient arrangement the fixed vertical element or bearing element for the sleeve or driving spindle may be hollowed or provided with a socket at its upper end to receive a removable extension or post which forms the record support. Preferably means is provided for locating the removable support so that it will always be returned to the same position. Such means may comprise a flat face at the lower end of the post portion and a complementary flat face in the socket which receives it.

. According to a featureof the invention the record support is curved below the shoulder or offset portion so that it slopes away from the initial direction of travel of the record when the displacing means is operated. This arrangement compensates for differences in the horizontal dis placements of records due to slight variations in size and thus tends to prevent any possibility of jamming;

According to afurther feature of the invention the records are supported at their outer edges upon platform means carried by'a lever which is.

adapted to be oscillated preferably in a vertical plane, the records being thereby preferably supported at three points.

According to a further feature the record displacing means comprises a movable support having abutment means for engaging the edge of a record preferably at two points andmeans is provided for-adjusting the support to suit different sizes of record. 1

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 represents in elevation, and partly in section, a record-changing mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention, the driving mechanism being omitted;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the record supporting platform.

Referring to the drawing which shows, by way of example, one convenient mode of carrying the invention into effect, the usual horizontal gramophone turntable I has a downwardly extending boss or socket 2 which fits over and may be seated upon the upper portion of the hollow driving spindle or sleeve 3. Preferably this sleeve 3 is provided with a shoulder 4 upon which the boss 2 rests and means such as a projection on the spindle engaging in a recess in the socket may be provided for preventing relative rotational movement between these parts.

The hollow spindle or sleeve 3 rotates about a 2 nxed vertical bearing member consisting'of the fixed sleeve I which is mounted in the boss attached to or forming part of the frame of the mechanism. The end thrust of the turntable is 5 taken by a ball race I interposedbetween the lower end of the hollow, spindle and the boss 0. A gear-l secured to or formed in one with the. spindle l is provided for driving purposes by means of the usual gear train.

The record supporting means comprises a pair of supports one ofwhich is a post or spindle l removably supported within the fixed sleeve 8 and forming an upward extension thereof. This post is circular in cross-section and at its lower end is formed with a flat II and inclined faces II and II which co-operate with similarly shaped faces on an insert II rigidly secured within the lower end of the sleeve 5 and forming a locating means for the removable post. so The upper part of the post l is inclined to the vertical and is preferably curved as shown at it and terminates in a straight inclined portion II which is offset with respect'to the aforesaid curved portion for forming a pair of shoulders or flats II as and i1 facing upwardly and downwardly respectlvely. The perpendicular distance between these two faces is slightly greater than the thickness of a record and the length of the straight extremity ll of thepost 9 is such that the required numso berof records, say eight or ten-for example, for

which the apparatus is designed can be conveniently accommodated by threading thereon. The portion of the spindle 0 which lies-between the faces I! and i1 is oval or flattened in shape, the

as smaller dimension lying in the plane of the lcurve of the spindle. It may be noted that the fixed sleeve 5 extends within the hollow interior of the turntable I but does not project above the surface thereof, the removable post I being there- 40 by supported as rigidly as possible.

The record supporting means also comprises a movable platform I! provided with abutment means is adapted to engage the edge of a record resting on the platform which is located near the 45 outer edge of the turntable at that point on the periphery thereof towards which the inclined spindle 9 extends. The platform II is carried on a lever pivoted for rocking movement in avertical plane, as for example upon a shaft 2|. An

50 extension 22 of this lever rests against the surface of a cam 23 mounted on a shaft, by the rotation of which the lever 20 and platform l8 may be displaced from the full line to the broken line position as indicated in the drawing.

55 The abutment means preferably comprises a pair of short pins I! mounted on the platform II which is of curved form as-shown, so that the records are supported at three points.

The operation of the platform is for the purgo pose of effecting record-changing is carried out by causing rotation of the cam 23 at the appropriate time. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for this purpose and this will generally comprise a trip or similar device dependent upon 65 the termination of the playing ofa record and which automatically causes engagement of a clutch on the cam shaft 24 whereby this shaft is coupled to the driving motor and is given one revolution. In the arrangement illustrated a 7 toothed gear 25 is incorporated with the driving spindle 3 and this is connected by suitable transmission means through the clutch to the shaft 24. Many other arrangements may however be employed for driving this cam. It will, of course,

5 be understood that suitable mechanism is also v record to be stack. 1

provided for displacing the tone arm or pick-up after a record has been played to enable a fresh' delfvered to the turntable from the o The records to be played-are placed in position 5 on the supportsin the manner shown in the drawing; that is their centres are threaded over the free end of the post I! so that the centre of the the outer edge thereof upon the platform II, the 10 supporting platform ll having been previously adJusted'for the size of records being used.

When the cam 23 is rotated, the platform i8 is moved inwardly towards the centre of the turntable to the position indicated on the draw- 15 ing by broken lines and the outer edge of the lowermost record is'thereby engaged and the until it drops gently on to the turntable in a 26 substantially horizontal "position. The next record takes the place of the one just released when ,the platform ll returns to its initial position and is ready for the next operation. It may be noted that the lever 20 is returnedto the ini- 30 tiai position under its own weight and that of the records restingupon it.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that record-changing mechanism according to the invention is simple and robust in construction. The arrangement of the driving and bearing means for the turntable affords at the same time a rigid mounting for the record support, the upper end of which is thus left freeso that the records may be placed thereon without loss of time; Moreover, the post is readily removable from its socket so that no time is wasted in removing records which have been played, and when replaced the post always assumes its correct relation to the other record support or supports.

The advantage of an inclined or curved record supporting post is that it obviates possible iammi'ng of the records due to variations in size thereof. I V

It is to be understood that various modifications may be made in the details of the example previously described, for example the record supporting p st may have a'straight instead of a curved inclined portion and may be mounted directly in the frame of the mechanism instead of in the turntable bearing element. Furthermore, other forms of record displacement means may be employed, for example slidable supports actuated by any suitable means. The invention is also not confined to arrangements involving two record-supports only, and, if desired, the displaceable platform means may be duplicated so that the edge ,of the record is engaged at two or more points.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters lowermost record rests on the-shoulder i6 and 1 said element being free and unobstructed whereby records may be freely placed in position on and removed therefrom, a sleeve member rotatable about said element and adapted to carry the turntable, means for driving said sleeve member, and cam-operated means for displacing a record laterally to cause it to be disengaged from the shouldered portion of the supporting element.

2. Record-changing mechanism of the character described comprisin in combination, a stationary vertical element, a turntable rotatable about said element, means extending upwardly from said element at an inclination to the vertical and having offset shoulder portions for supporting a stack of records at the centre thereof, the portion of said element lying above said shoulder portions being permanently free and unobstructed whereby records may be freely placed in position on and removed therefrom and means for supporting the edge of the stack of records and for displacing a record laterally to cause it to be disengaged from the shoulder portions.

3. Record-changing mechanism of the character described comprising, in combination, a

stationary vertical element, a turntable rotat-,

able about said element, a post element-removably seated in said vertical element and extending upwardly at an inclination to the vertical, shoulder portions formed on said post element for supporting a stack of records at the centre thereof, and means for supporting the edge of the stack of records and for displacing a record laterally to cause it to be disengaged from the supporting element.

4. Record-changing mechanism of the character described comprising, in combination, a stationary vertical element, a sleeve rotatably journalled upon said element and adapted to carry a turntable, means for driving said sleeve, a post element removably seated in and supported by said vertical element and extending upwardly at an inclination to the vertical, shoulder portions formed on said post element for supporting a stack of records at the centre thereof, and means for supporting the edge of the stack of records and for displacing a record laterally to cause it to be disengaged from the supporting element.

5. Record-changing mechanism of the character described comprising, in combination, a fixed verticalbear ng element having a socket at the upper end thereof, a sleeve member mounted for rotation about said bearing element, a post element removably seated in said socket and extending 'upwardly at an inclination to the vertical, means for locating the post element in said socket so that it is always returned to the same position after removal, shoulder portions formed on said post element for supporting a stack of records at the centre thereof, and means for supporting the edge of the stack of records and for displacing a record laterally to cause it to be disengaged from the supporting element.

6. Record-changing mechanism of the character described comprising, in combination, a vertical sleeve-like support forming a bearing for the turntable, a plug-like insert fixed in the lower end of the support, a removable post seated in said support and keyed to said insert, said post extending above said support and being inclined with respect to the vertical and having offset shoulder portions for engaging a stack of records at the centre thereof, said post being free and unsupported above the turntable, and means for supporting the outer edge of the records and for displacing the same inwardly.

7. Record-changing mechanism of the character described comprising, in combination, a sleeve for supporting and driving the turntable, a vertical cylindrical element hollowed at the upper end thereof forming a fixed bearing for said sleeve, 9, post member insertable into the hollowed upper portion of said cylindrical element and formed to extend, above the turntable at an inclination to the vertical, offset shoulder portions formed on said post member to support a stack of records at the centre thereof, and means for displacing a record laterally for effecting disengagement thereof from the support.

8. In a record-changing mechanism, an upwardly extending curved post member having offset shoulders for supporting a stack of records at .the centre thereof, a stationary bearing element,

a turntable rotatable about said bearing element,

said post member being seated within said stationary bearing element and being free and unsupported above the level of the turntable.

9. In record changing mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam-operated means includes a lever mounted for oscillation in a vertical plane radial to the record, platform means fixed to said lever for oscillation therewith and engaging and supporting the outer edge of the record, whereby oscillation of said lever and means in one direction will move the record laterally, and means for oscillating said lever in said direction.

10. In a record changing mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam-operated means includes, a lever mounted for oscillation in a vertical plane radial to the record, platform means fixed to said lever for oscillation therewith, and engaging and supporting the outer edgeof the record, whereby oscillation of said lever and means in one direction will move said record laterally, and means for oscillating said lever in said ing said lever.

GILBERT SLATER. 

